Repeated Sprint Ability: Energy Systems during repeated high intensity workouts
In recent years, a large number of industry debates have focused on which methods should be employed while training repeated-sprint athletes. Some propose the concept of sport-specificity, utilizing only techniques that mirror the on-field movement demands of the athlete, while others rely on more generic, interval-based training to develop the energy systems. In the 2011 review Repeated-Sprint Ability – Part II: Recommendations for Training, Bishop et al. aim to assess the validity of these methods and others in hopes to form a consensus on the most effective protocol.
Energy Systems 101
While an expansive discussion about the energy systems exceeds the intent of this review, I think it’s important to cover the basics in terms of how these systems interact with one another. For the sake of terminology, I’ll define the energy systems in the following manner:
■Alactic (ATP-CP) – immediate energy
■Lactic (Glycolytic) – intermediate energy
■Aerobic – long-term energy
My initial education on the energy systems came in the following format – the first 30 seconds of activity is predominantly alactic, the next minute and a half is all glycolysis, and it’s not until the 2 minute mark that the aerobic systems begins to contribute significantly towards energy production. As it turns out, this approach to metabolism is shortsighted in light of more current research.
These energy systems, while often taught in a successive fashion, all turn on at the exact same time – right at the onset of activity. And they will work as hard as they possibly can to meet the metabolic demands present.
For example, during a 100-meter sprint, the aerobic system is cranking through substrates as fast as possible, doing its best to contribute to energy production. It’s the short nature of the race, not the aerobic system’s inactivity, which limits the total amount of ATPs produced aerobically.
It’s also important to note that at about the 60-70s mark of activity, aerobic metabolism becomes the dominant source of energy production. And with repeated bouts of activity (e.g., interval training), you become more and more aerobic with each successive bout. If the aerobic component of an athlete’s energy production is lacking, they will fatigue faster when required to produce repeated, high-intensity bouts of activity.
Each energy system has both a power and a capacity component. The power of an energy system is defined by the rate at which that system can turn on and begin producing ATPs. The capacity, on the other hand, is the duration at which an energy system can maintain energy production at a certain work level.
Both of these components will come into play when assigning the training methods for repeated-sprint athletes.
What is a Repeated-Sprint Athlete?
The authors of the review define two basic parameters for a repeated-sprint athlete:
■Short-duration, high-intensity activity of ≤ 10 seconds
■Brief recovery periods of ≤ 60 seconds
To excel in their sports, these athletes are required to not only produce a great deal of power, but also do so repeatedly while maintaining a low fatigue index (i.e., the performance decrement from the first sprint to the last). A high power output is critical to our definition – a marathon runner who
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